Muslim woman accuses McDonald’s franchisee of discrimination

By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN Associated Press
SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) — A Muslim woman who worked for a McDonald’s franchisee in Maryland claims managers and co-workers sexually harassed her and subjected her to religious discrimination after she converted to Islam. Diamond Powell sued her former employer, Susdewitt Management LLC, on Thursday with the backing of attorneys from the Council on American-Islamic Relations. The 28-year-old Baltimore resident converted to Islam in 2017 and began wearing a hijab, a religious head covering, while working at a McDonald’s at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. She claims a manager forced her to choose between her job and her religious beliefs by prohibiting her from taking prayer breaks.